Backpart molding machines



1955 L. s. MACDONALD 2,719,992 BACKPART MOLDING MACHINES Filed Dec. 15, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 nven tar fer dfl/acdonafd hi A 1 1955 L. s. MACDONALD BACKPART MOLDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 15, 1953 r M y m We d m e w u M A n J wm is WH: my Mr. I 0 M Q Q Q w l .1 o 0 3 1 Q n; \M, 3 a :4 e IIH Wm 4 HHHL. MHHHHHH- Hm W m 0 k .4 my a m w, llli: 1 w :1: M- 3 4 o l ,S 4 A 4 4%% w Oct. 11, 1955 L. s. MACDONALD BACKPART MOLDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 15, 1953 lunlnllll Jnv e n for Zeszer- Macaona [Q Oct. 11, 1955 L. s. MACDONALD BACKPART MOLDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 15, 1953 lnvenior' Lester fMacdonald United States PatentO BACKPART MOLDING MACHINES Lester S. Macdonald, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United 1 Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application December 15, 1953, Serial No. 393,241

12 Claims. (Cl. 12-97) This invention relates to machines for operating on shoe parts, and more particularly to machines for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers. The invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,342,154, granted February 22, 194-4, on an application filed in my name, although it will be understood that the invention is not limited to machines of the type therein disclosed.

The machine illustrated in the aforementioned patent includes an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last to receive the backpart of a shoe upper. Cooperating with the inner mold is an outer mold for applying pressure to impart the shape of the inner mold to the backpart of the upper. A wiper assembly is movable over the heel seat face of the inner mold to turn the marginal portion of the upper inwardly over the face to form an attaching flange. The inner mold is locked against movement away from the wipers but following the action of the wipers in turning the flange, relative movement is imparted between the wipers and the inner mold to apply heavy molding pressure to the flange which has been formed. In order to allow for uppers of varying thicknesses and in order to avoid danger of damage to the upper during the wiping action it has been found necessary in machines of the type shown in my earlier patent to so locatethe inner mold that there will be no possibility of interference with the action of the wipers in turning the flange. Consequently, particularly when operating on relatively thin uppers, it has been difficult to obtain a well defined heel seat line and avoid the formation of wrinkles extending heightwise above the heel seat line.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine of the type disclosed in my aforementioned patent in which the parts are so mounted that a well defined heel seat line is formed during the flange turning operation without causing any damage to the upper. To this end and in accordance with a feature of the invention, the inner mold is urged by a spring toward the wipers but is permitted to yield away from said wipers during the flange turning operation. With this arrangement the inner mold is normally held sufficiently close to the wipers so that a clearly defined heel seat line is formed during the flange turning operation, and the yielding mounting of the inner mold away from the wipers insures proper functioning of the machine irrespective of the thickness of the upper materials. With this arrangement it has been found that the formation of wrinkles extending above the heel seat line has been effectively eliminated and a well defined heel seat line is formed.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for locating and holding the upper to be operated upon in proper relation to the inner mold. According, and as a further feature of the invention there is associated with the inner mold a gage by which the operator may readily place the backpart in the correct heightwise position on the inner mold after which clamping means associated with the gage operates to hold the backpart 2,719,992 Patented Oct. 11, 1955 thereon. The gage and the clamping means are adjustable as a unit to compensate for uppers for difierent size shoes.

It is important that the entire upper be properly oriented with respect to the inner mold and held under tension during the molding operation. For this purpose and in accordance with another feature of the invention, toe grippers are provided and associated with these grippers is a gage member facilitating the proper insertion of the toe end of the upper within the grippers. The toe grippers are normally held to one side or the other of a vertical median plane through the backpart to compensate for the toe swing of right or left shoes. These grippers are readily movable from one extreme position to the other and are normally held in either of the two extreme positions according to whether the upper being operated upon is for a right or left shoe. The extreme positions of the toe grippers are readily controlled and the grippers are further mounted for adjustment heightwise, lengthwise and laterally of the upper in accordance with the particular style or size of shoe being operated upon.

Further to insure molding of the backpart of the upper without the formation of wrinkles in any of the component parts thereof, and in accordance with a still further feature of the invention, additional grippers are provided for engagement with the lasting margin of the upper in the vicinity of the heel breast line. These grippers are arranged to move in a direction to impart tension to the backpart in the vicinity of the heel breast line upon movement of the outer mold toward the inner mold during the molding operation.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction and novel combinations of parts will now be disclosed with reference to the drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a portion of one form of machine in which the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the machine at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a portion of a machine showing a work piece in position to be operated upon, this figure being on a larger scale than Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the upper portion of the machine illustrating the: wiper operating mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a detailed view of one of the side grippers by which the upper is tensioned during the molding operation;

Fig. 6 is an angular view of the toe gripper and associated gage;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the toe gripper of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through a portion of the inner mold and the means by which an upper is positioned in proper relation thereto; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view, partly in section, of the inner mold and the positioning mechanism of Fig. 8.

The illustrated machine includes a frame composed of a lower casing member or base 10, an intermediate casing member 12 and an upper casing member 14. The casing member 10 forms a reservoir or sump for the operating fluid, preferably oil, by which the machine is operated.

Supported by the upper casing member 14 is a vertically movable head 16 which carries an outer modl 18 and a pair of wipers 20. The work to be operated upon is supported by an inner mold 22 which is shaped substantially like the heel portion of a last. The inner mold 22 is mounted at the upper end of a jack 24 (Fig. 2) which is arranged for vertical movement and just rearwardly of the inner mold is supported a plate 26 which is mounted for forward and rearward movements relatively to the inner mold 22. The wipers cooperate with the plate 26 upon downward movement of the head 16 to clamp the lasting margin of the upper against the plate 26, after which the backpart is stretched relatively to the lasting margin and is molded between the inner and outer molds as explained more fully hereinafter. The plate 26 is then moved rearwardly of the inner mold permitting further downward movement of the wipers to turn in the flange against the adjacent surface of the inner mold after which pressure is applied by the inner mold and the wipers to mold or set the flange.

The head 16 is provided at its upper portion with extensions or tongues formed by the projecting edges of a plate 28 (Fig. 4) secured by screws 29 to the head. These tongues are arranged to slide in ways formed in the upper casing member 14 to guide the head in its vertical movements. Pairs of spaced ears 30 extend laterally from each side of the head 16 and are pivotally connected to the upper ends of vertically extending rods 32, the lower ends of which are connected to a piston 34 as illustrated in my aforementioned patent. Springs 36 act between collars 38 secured to the rods 32 and the base of the machine normally to maintain the head 16 in its uppermost position.

The outer mold 18 comprises a pair of mold members 40 (Fig. 3) pivoted at their upper ends by pins 42 to a support 44. This support is in turn secured to a slide 46 (Fig. 2) by a retractable pin 48 which permits ready removal of the outer mold assembly topermit replacement thereof. The pin 48 is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by a locking pin 50 which fits into an annular groove 52 in the pin 48, the locking pin 50 being vertically slidable in a plate 54 movable with the slide 46 in a way formed in the front of the head 16. The pin 50 is normally maintained in looking engagement with the pin 48 by a spring 56. The slide 46 is formed at the lower end of an upwardly extending rod 58 slidable in a vertical bore in the head 16 and provided at its upper end with lock nuts. 60 which limit downward movement of the slide 46 relatively to the head 16. Upward movements of the slide 46 and the outer mold members carried thereby relatively to the head 16 are opposed by compression springs 62 acting between the head 16 and the support 44.

The outer mold members 40 are normally held in separated relationship by springs 64 (Fig. 1) connected between the mold members and levers 66 pivoted at 68 to the head 16. The levers 66 are normally held in the positions illustrated in Fig. l by springs 70 acting between the levers and the head 16. Carried by the levers 66 are cam rolls 72 arranged to cooperate with cam surfaces 74 formed on the mold members 40 so that upon downward movement of the head 16 relatively to the outer mold the cam rolls 72 ride over the cam surfaces 74 to force the lower portions of the outer mold toward each other against the actions of the springs 64. The outer ends of the levers 66 are held by the springs 70 against yieldable stops 76 mounted for sliding movement in the head 16. The stops 7'6 areprovided with reduced upwardly extending shank portions 78 which extend through plugs 80 threaded into the head. Springs 82 acting between the stops 76 and the plugs 80 force the stops downwardly to positions determined by lock nuts 84 threaded onto the upper ends of the shank, portions 78. These yieldable stops 76 permit the levers 66 carrying the cam rolls 72 to yield during downward movement of the head relatively to the outer mold to limit the pressure exerted between the outer mold and the backpart thus preventing damage to the backpart or to the machine.

The wiper plates. 20 (Fig. 4) are carried for downward movement with the head 16 and with the outer mold and are also movable heightwise and toward and away from each other relatively to the outer mold. The wiper plates are pivoted together at 86 and are mounted on a pair of plates 88. The plates 88 have rearwardly extending sleeves 90 (Fig. 2) which house retractable pins 92 normally urged forwardly by springs 94 into apertures in the wiper plates. Handles 96 on the rearward ends of the pins 92 permit retraction of the pins to facilitate replacement of the wiper plates.

The supporting plates 88 have tongue and groove connections with a plate 98 (Fig. 4) the tongues and grooves being arcuate and concentric with the pivot 86 between the wiper plates. The plate 98 is mounted between the head 16 and the plate 28 and is arranged for vertical movement with respect to the head 16 whereupon the wipers are movable heightwise with respect to the head. The plate 98 is connected to the plate 28 for downward movement with the head by pins 102 (Fig. 2) which pass through slots in the plate 28 and are normally maintained in engagement with the lower ends of the slots by springs 1.04 acting between the pins 102 and pins (not shown) in the plate 28. Thus the plate 98 normally moves downwardly with the head but by reason of the pin and slot connection between the plate 98 and the plate 28, downward movement of the head 16 and the outer mold relatively to the plate 98 is permitted. The wipers, being secured by the pins 92 to the plates 88 which are in turn mounted for arcuate movement on the plate 98, will move vertically with the plates, the wipers being confined between the plates 88 and the head 16.

The peripheral portions of the wiper supporting plates 88 are provided with teeth 106 which mesh with rack teeth 108 at the lower portions of racks 110. These racks are confined between the outer edges of the plate 98 and the contiguous portions of the head 16 and of the plate 28 but are arranged for vertical sliding movement relatively to the head 16. On the same sides of the racks 110 as the teeth 108 are second sets of rack teeth 112 arranged for engagement with gears 114 having pivots 116 supported in bearings in the plate 98. The gears 114 also engage teeth 118 on a floating rack 120 arranged to slide between tongues 122 and 124 on the plate 98.

The upper rearward sides of the racks 110 are provided with third sets of rack teeth 126 (Fig. 4) which mesh with gear segments 128 (Fig. 2) mounted on the forward ends of arms 130 which pass through slots in the plate 28. The arms 130 are U-shaped when viewed in plan and embrace and are pivoted to hearing members 132 secured to the plate 28. A web 134 connects the U-shaped arms carrying the gear segments 128 so that the segments move as a unit.

The adjacent portions of the arms 130 extend upwardly to form bearings 136 in which is journaled a shaft 138 supporting a slide 140. This slide is mounted for vertical movements on an upwardly extending arm 142 mounted on the forward end of a rod 144 slidably mounted in a bearing 146 in the upper casing member 14. This construction permits downward movement of the head 16 with its plate 28 carrying gear segments 128 as'a unit relatively to the rod 144 while permitting movements of the gear segments relatively to the head 16 upon sliding movement of the rod 144 in its bearing 146.

When the head 16 is first moved downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 4, the plate 98 carrying the wiper members and associated parts will move as a unit with the head as long as no resistance to such movement is encountered. During this time the slide connected to the gear segments 128 will move downwardly relatively to the arm 142 extending upwardly from the rod 144. The Wiper members 20 are so held during initial downward movement that they will first contact only the extreme back portion of the lasting margin of the upper overlying the plate 26. This engagement of the wipers with the lasted margin takes place substantially at the same time that the outer mold 18 engages that portion of the backpart carried by the inner mold 22. Upon further downward movement of the head 16, the gear seg ments 128 will continue to move which will cause further downward movement of the racks 110 relatively to the wiper supporting plates 88. This downward movement of the racks 110 will cause the wiper supporting plates 88 to move arcuately on the plate 98 so that the lower portions of the wipers will approach each other thereby to clamp the lasting margin along the sides of the plate 26 thus causing the lasting margin to conform to the shape of the plate. The floating rack 120 which engages the adjacent portions of the gears 114 will be caused to move upwardly in response to downward movement of the racks 110, such upward movement being transmitted to the floating rack through the gears 114. The function of this floating rack will appear as the description proceeds.

The positions of the wipers when the machine is at rest are determined by the position of the rod 144 (Fig. 2) by which movement is later imparted through the gear segments 128 to the racks 110. This rod extends rearwardly beyond the casing 14 and passes through a cap 148 secured to the rear portion of the casing 14. The rearward end of the rod 144 is reduced at 150 and a flanged collar 152 is mounted on the reduced portion. A spring 154 acts between the flange on the collar 152 and nuts 156 threaded onto the outer end of the rod to maintain the shoulder on the rod 144 formed by the reduced portion 150 in contact with the flange on the collar 152. A bell crank lever 158 is pivoted at 160 to the casing 14, the upper arm of this bell crank lever being pivotally connected by a crosshead 162 to the rod 144. The other arm of the bell crank lever 158 is urged downwardly by a pair of springs 164 connected between the bell crank lever and a pin 165 secured to the frame of the machine. The springs 164 urge the rod 144 forwardly of the machine to maintain the flange of the collar 152 in engagement with the cap 148. These springs are of less capacity than the spring 154 which is thus effective to maintain the shoulder of the rod 144 in engagement with the flange of the collar 152 in the absence of a force additional to the force of the springs 164 acting on the rod, so that the rod assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 2 with the wipers in open positions when the machine is at rest.

The extreme upper end of the head 16 is slotted at 166 (Figs. 3 and 4) and the upper end of the slot is closed by a block 168 secured to the head by screws 170. An adjustable stop screw 172 is threaded through the block in alinement with the floating rack 120 and acts by engagement with the top face of the floating rack to limit its upward movement as the racks 110 are being moved downwardly in response to forward movement of the rod 144 (Fig. 2). Pivoted to the block 168 is a latch 174 which is normally urged inwardly of the machine by springs 176 having their upper ends secured by pins 178 to forwardly extending arms of the latch 174. The lower ends of these springs 176 are secured to pins 180 secured to the block 168 so that the springs 176 urge the latch 174 in a counterclockwise direction from the posi tion illustrated in Fig. 2.

With the head 16 in its uppermost position, the latch 174 is held in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 against the force of the springs 176 by the engagement of a rearwardly extending arm 182 secured to the latch with the undersurface of a bracket 184 secured to the top of the casing 14. Upon downward movement of the head 16, the arm 182 moves out of engagement with the bracket 184 whereupon the latch 174 is moved rearwardly by the springs 176 to its locking position. In this position the lower end of the latch is arranged to engage a notch 186 formed in the uppermost portion of the rack 120 so that after the rack has been moved upwardly into the position determined by the stop screw 172 the rack will be held in this position by the latch 174.

For releasing the latch at a predetermined time in the operation of the machine, the latch carries a pair of rearwardly extending screws 188 on which are slidably mounted sleeves 190 urged rearwardly by springs 192 confined between the forward ends of sleeves and the back surface of the latch. These sleeves form resilient abutments arranged to be engaged at a predetermined time in the cycle of operation of the machine by the slide upon forward movement of the rod 144 to move the latch out of engagement with the floating rack 120.

The inner mold 22 and the plate 26 are mounted at the upper end of the jack 24, the lower end of which is suitably connected to a piston 194 slidable in a cylinder 196 formed in the upper part of the housing 10. With the machine in its loading position the jack 24 and piston 194 are held by gravity in the positions illustrated, these positions being determined by the adjustment of a wedge 198. The inner mold 22 has a tongue and groove connection 200 with a rearwardly extending supporting plate 202 which has a horizontal tongue and groove connection 204 with the upper endof the jack 24.

Provision is made for assisting in the proper positioning of the backpart on the inner mold 22 both with reference to the position of the top line of the backpart and the positioning of the backseam, and for clamping the backpart after being properly positioned on the inner mold. Mechanism for this purpose is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. Secured to the forward vertical wall of the inner mold 22 is a bracket 206 in which is mounted for vertical movement a slide 208. The slide is normally urged upwardly into a position determined by an adjustable stop screw 210 by a spring 212 connected between a pin 214 in the lower portion of the slide and a pin 216 in the bracket 206.

The slide 208 has an upper forwardly projecting split portion 218 in which is held, by a screw 219, a threaded member 220 having a dovetail connection with a support 222 movable forwardly and rearwardly of the inner mold 22. Threaded into the member 220 is a screw 224 having a knurled head 226 provided with an annular groove 228 receiving a thin plate 230 carried by the support 222. Rotation of the screw 224 will cause movement of the support 222 lengthwise of the member 220 or toward or away from the inner mold 22. The screw 224 is normally held in the desired position of adjustment by a springpressed detent 232 carried by the support 222 and engageable with any one of a plurality of recesses in the adjacent face of the knob 226 of the screw 224.

Secured by a screw 233 to the support 222 is an arm 234 extending over the inner mold 222 and carrying at its rearward end a pad 236 of rubber or similar material arranged for engagement with the upper margin of a backpart B draped over the inner mold for clamping the backpart thereto. Upon upward movement of the slide 208 by the spring 212, the arm 234 with the backpart engaging pad 236 assumes a position spaced sufficiently from the inner mold 22 to permit insertion of a backpart therebetween. Slidable vertically through an aperture in the rearward end of the arm 234 is a gage pin 238 carried by a leaf spring 240 secured by the screw 233 to the support 222. With the slide 208 in its uppermost position the spring 240 maintains the gage pin 238 in contact with the inner mold 22 so that a backpart may be correctly positioned on the inner mold against the gage pin which thereby determines the position of the top line of the backpart relatively to the inner mold. This position is readily varied by adjustment of the screw 224 for different sizes and styles of backparts. It will be noted that the support 222 carrying the clamping pad 236 and the gage pin 238 is adjustable along a path generally parallel to the adjacent upper surface of the inner mold 22 so that the heightwise positions of the clamping pad and gage pin relatively to the inner mold will remain substantially constant upon adjustment of these members forwardly or rearwardly of the machine.

For holding the slide 208 in its lowermost position against the action of the spring 212 to move the pad 236 into clamping engagement with the backpart, a forwardly extending arm 242 is provided. This arm is pivoted at 244 between a pair of cars 246 extending forwardly from the bracket 206 and is'pivoted .at 248 to a :pair of links .250 which are in turn pivoted at 252 to an car 254 extending forwardly from the lower portion of the slide 20.8. :It will be apparent that the arm 242 and the links 250 form a toggle which when in straight line position as in Fig. 8, holds the slide 208 in its lowermost position with the pad 236 in clamping engagement with the 'backpart B. Upon lifting thearm 242 into the position shown in Fig. 2 the toggle .is broken and the spring 212 raises the slide 208 until it engages the stop screw 210 whereupon the clamping pad 236 is raised so that a backpart may be properly positioned on the inner mold 22.

The plate 26 (Fig. 2) straddles the inner mold sup- .porting plate 202 so that it may move rearwardly with respect to the mold 22 from the position illustrated. The

plate 26 has a tongue and groove connection with a supporting member 256 which is in turn secured by screws 258 to the forward portion of a cylinder housing 260 whereby the cylinder housing, the supporting member 256 and the plate 26 will .move rearwardly as a unit. The cylinder housing 260 is mounted for forward and rearward sliding movement in the frame of the machine but is constrained aganist vertical movement with respect thereto. The cylinder housing is normally maintained in a forward position as shown in Fig. 2 by a spring 262 connected between the rearward portion of the cylinder housing and the pin 165 in the frame.

The cylinder housing 260 encloses a double piston member 264 which includes a large piston 266 and a small piston 268 received by cylindrical portions 270 and 272 respectively of the cylinder housing 260. The forward end of the piston member 264 has a vertical slot 274 for receiving a tongue 276 of the supporting plate 202 for the inner mold 22, whereby the inner mold :and the piston member 264 are locked together against relative horizontal movements while permitting vertical movements of the inner mold relatively to the piston member and to the plate 26.

The piston member 264 is slotted at 278 rearwardly of the slot 274 to receive cylindrical members 280 carried at the lower end of an arm 282, the upper end of which is pivoted at 284 to an arm 286 depending from the bearing 146. Between the .ends of the arms 282 is pivoted a rod 288 the rearward portion of which is pivoted at 290 to a block 292 carrying a rearwardly extending rod 294 which passes through a bushing 296. This bushing is externally threaded for adjustment in a nut 298 carried by the rearward wall of the machine .frame, the bushing being held in the desired position of adjustment by a lock nut 300. A spring 302 acts between the bushing 296 and a washer 304 held by nuts 306 on.the rearward portion of the rod 294 normally to hold therods 288 and 294 in their rearmost positions determined by engagement .of the block 292 with the adjacent portion of the bushing 296. Accordingly the piston 264 and the inner mold 22 are held in their rearmost positions but are capable of yielding forwardly when the wipers 20 operate to turn the flange over the rearward surface of the inner mold 22. This is one of the features by which the machine of this application differs from that of my earlier patent in which the inner mold 22 was locked against movement forwardly of the machine but was permitted to move rearwardly. Thus in the earlier machine the inner mold had to be so adjusted that the wipers had sufhcient clearance to eliminate the possibility of damage to the upper when the flange was being turned. In the present machine the inner mold can be adjusted closer to the plane in which the adjacent face of the wipers operate because the inner mold may yield forwardly during the turning of the flange and consequently a sharper line is formed between the flange and the backpart than is possible in the earlier machine without danger of damage to the backpart.

During the first portion of the cycle of operations, the inner-mold 2 2 and the plate 26 occupy the positions illustrated in Fig. :2, the plate 26 underlying the wipers 20 so that the lasting margin is clamped by the wipers against the .plate 26 when the inner mold 22 :has moved upwardly relatively to the plate thereby ,to define the heel seat line and facilitate the subsequent flange turning operation. At the proper time in the cycle of operations, the plate 26 is moved rearwardly to permit further downward movement of the wipers 20 to turn in the flange. This rearward movement of the plate 26 is effected by the admission of pressure fluid into the chamber between the rear end face of the small piston 268 and the .rear closed end of the cylinder 272, the pressure fluid being admitted into thechamber through a tube 308, which acts to move the cylinder :housing 260 and the plate 26 rearwardly. It will be understood that the inner mold at this time is in pressure engagement with the outer mold 18 thus pre venting forward movement of the supporting plate '202 and the piston member 264. Pressure fluid in front of the large piston 266 is permitted to flow into the space rearwardly of the piston during this movement of the cylinder housing 260, this latter space being connected by a pipe 310 to the oil reservoir in the base of the machine. For thus permitting flow of oil into the space rearwardly of the large piston, ports 312 and 314 connected by a passageway 316 are formed therein. A slide valve member 318 is located in a bore extending through the large and small pistons and including the bore 316. The valve is normally urged rearwardly by a spring 320 to prevent communication between the bores 312 and 314. Formed .on the rearward end of the stern of the valve 318 is a piston 322 arranged to be acted upon by pressure fluid in the space rearwardly of the small piston 268 to move the valve 318 forwardly thus connecting the spaces at opposite sides .of the large piston 266.

Following rearward movement of the plate 26 by rearward movement of the cylinder housing 260 the wipers 20 move downwardly to turn in the flange against the rearward surface of the inner mold 22, following which pressure fluid is admitted through a tube 324 into the space ahead of the large piston 266 thereby .to move the cylinder housing 260 forwardly whereupon the plate .26 moves into engagement with the rearward faces of the Wipers. As the pressure ahead of the large piston 266 increases, following engagement of the plate 26 with the wipers, the pressure between the inner and outer mold is reduced somewhat so that the piston 266 is moved rearwardly to force the inner mold toward the wipers thus causing molding pressure to be applied to the inwardly turned marginal portion or flange of the upper.

The movement of the wipers to turn in the margin of the backpart against the inner mold 22 is effected by forward movement of the rod 144 against the action of the spring 154 thereby moving the gear segments 128 in a counterclockwise direction causing downward movement of the racks 110. The floating rack 12.0 moves upwardly simultaneously with the downward movement of the racks until it engages the stop screw 172. During this time the wipers are moving in toward each other but after the floating rack can rise no farther the gears 114 move downward bodily to lower the wiper supporting plate 98 so that the wipers will move bodily downwardly simultaneously with their inward movements. For thus moving the rod 144 forwardly the bell crank lever 158 is moved in a counterclockwise direction by downward movement of a rod 326 the upper end of which is connected to the bell crank lever 158. The lower end of the rod 326 is connected to a pair of pistons 328, 330 movable vertically in a cylinder 332. Pressure fluid is admitted into the upper end of the cylina der to move the pistons 328, 330 downwardly thus causing downward and inward movement of the wipers as explained above. The cycle of operations of the machine is controlled automatically by mechanism, a portion of which is illustrated at 334. This mechanism is not fully shown nor described herein since it forms no .part of the present invention but is illustrated and described in detail in my aforementioned patent.

In order to insure that the flange is turned in completely down to the heel breast line the wipers 20 are provided with auxiliary wiper members 336 (Fig. 4) movable inwardly of the work relatively to the wipers. These auxiliary wiper members 336 have pin and slot connections 338 with the wipers 20. The lower faces of the wipers and the adjacent faces of the auxiliary wiper members 336 are inclined outwardly and downwardly whereby, with the wipers in their open positions, .as shown in Fig. l, the auxiliary members 336 move by gravity into positions in which they form continuations of the surfaces of the wipers. Each of the auxiliary wiper members carries a cam roll 340 engageable with a fixed cam surface formed on a bracket 342 so that upon downward movement of the wipers and engagement of the rolls 340 with the cam surfaces of the brackets 342, the auxiliary wiper members move inwardly to exert an additional wiping action on that portion of the flange immediately adjacent to the heel breast line.

Prior to the molding operation and after the backpart has been located on the inner mold 22, tension is applied to the upper to insure that the upper is properly held on the inner mold 22 during the molding operation. For this purpose gripper members 344, 346 (Fig. 7) are arranged to engage the inner and outer marginal portions of the upper at its toe end. The outer gripper member 346 is fixedly carried by a support 348 which has a pair of upwardly extending spaced arms 350 (Fig. 6) between which is pivoted at 351 the inner gripper member 344. An arm 352 integral with the gripper member 344 carries a pin 354 received in a U-shaped notch at the upper end of an arm 356 of a lever 358 pivoted at 360 in the support 348. The lever 358 includes a forwardly extending arm 362 the forward end of which is arranged to be gripped by the operator whereupon the lever 358 can be swung about the pivot 360 thereby to impart movement to the gripper member 344 to swing it about its pivot 351. The arm 356 of the lever 358 carries a plunger 364 movable upwardly by a spring 366, the upper end of the plunger being engageable with the adjacent portion of the arm 352 and provided with means for frictionally maintaining the gripper member 344 in the position to which it is moved by swinging of the lever 358. The gripper member 344 has a series of teeth 368 engageable with the inner marginal portion of the upper and cooperates with the gripper member 346 for firmly clamping the upper therebetween. The teeth 368 are eccentrically disposed with respect to the pivot 351 so that upon upward movement of the arm 362 and counterclockwise movement of the gripper member 344, the teeth 368 move away from the upper and upon movement of the arm 362 in the opposite direction the teeth 368 move into engagement with the upper. to clamp it in position.

The support 348 carrying the inner and outer gripper members 344, 346 is arranged for lateral adjustment. For this purpose it is provided with a T-slot 370 which receives a correspondingly shaped bar 372 carried by a slide 374. A screw 376 is threaded through an car 380 extending forwardly from the support 348 and engages the adjacent surface of the slide 374 to lock the support 348 in the desired position relatively to the slide.

.The slide 374 is in turn mounted for adjustment forwardly and rearwardly of the machine to locate the gripper members in the desired fore-and-aft relation to the machine. The slide 374 has a T-slot receiving a correspondingly shaped bar 382 which is in turn secured toa vertical slide 384 (Fig. 3). A screw 386 is providedfor clamping the slide 374 to the bar 382. The vertical slide 384 is carried by a holder 388 for adjustmentheightwise of the machine properly to locate the gripper members heightwise of the machine. A screw 390 locks the vertical slide 384 to the holder 388.

The adjustments thus far described are provided for accommodating shoes of different styles and sizes and it is not contemplated that in the normal operation of the machines the gages would be frequently adjusted by the means heretofore described, except that heightwise adjustment of the slide 384 might be made each time in order to obtain the desired tension of the upper. In order that a single mold may serve to shape the heel portions of both right and left shoes it is essential that the upper be properly oriented with respect to the inner mold with the toe portion being swung to one side or the other of a vertical plane through the inner mold according to whether the shoe is for a right or left foot. Accordingly, provision is made for rapidly shifting the gages and the structure heretofore described by which they are mounted from the position shown in Fig. 3 to a corresponding position at the other side of a vertical plane through the inner mold.

For this purpose the holder 388 is pivoted at 392 to an arm 394 which is pivoted at 396 to the frame of the machine. Extending laterally from the holder 388 is an arm 398 carrying at its outer end a roll 400 received by a slot 402 in a plate 404 secured to the machine frame. The arm 394 and the roll 400 riding in the slot 402 cooperate to control the positions of the holder 388 in its swinging movements. The extremities of the swinging movements are determined by a pin 406 carried by and extending rearwardly from the arm 394 and arranged for engagement with forwardly extending arms 408, 410 of brackets carried by a screw 412. Opposite ends of the screw 412 are threaded in opposite directions and intermediate the oppositely threaded portions is a collar 414 secured to the screw and received by a recess in the machine frame to prevent endwise movement of the screw 412. The collar 414 has peripheral notches with which cooperate a detent 416 to maintain the screw in the desired positions of adjustment. A knurled head 418 is secured to one end of the screw providing means by which the operator may readily turn the screw to move the brackets carrying the stop arms 408, 410 toward or away from each other to vary the extreme positions of the holder 388 in accordance with the amount of toe swing of the particular shoes being operated upon.

Provision is made for yieldingly holding the support 388 in either of its extreme positions. For this purpose the plate 404 has a depending fixed cam portion 420 with which cooperates a cam roll 422 carried by a lever 424 pivoted at 426 to the plate 398 extending laterally from the holder 388. A spring 428 connects the outer end of the lever 424 and a pin 430 secured to the holder 388 so that the cam roll 422 cooperates with the inclined portions of the cam 420 to maintain the holder 388 in either one of its two extreme positions depending upon which side of the lowermost portion of the cam 420 the roll 422 engages.

Further to insure holding the backpart on the inner mold in the desired position and to maintain the materials taut during the molding operation, grippers are provided for engaging the inner and outer lower marginal portions of the upper just forwardly of the heel breast line and for exerting a slight tension on the upper during the molding operation. For this purpose inner and outer gripper members 432, 434 (Fig. 5) similar to the toe gripper members heretofore described, are provided for each side of the upper. Each set of grippers is carried by an arm 436 pivotally connected by an upstanding link 438 to the frame of the machine at 440. The outer gripper 434 is pivoted at 442 to the associated arm 436 and is operatively connected in the manner heretofore described with reference to the toe grippers, to an actuating handle 444. The arrangement is such that when the handles 444 are moved outwardly the gripper members 434 move ,to

Each of the arms 436 has pivoted to it a depending link 446 provided at its lower end with a slot 448 to receive a pin 450 carried by a bracket 452 secured to the upper end of a rack bar 454. A tension spring 456 connects the pin 450 and a screw 458 passing through a sleeve 460 in the arm 436 carrying a nut 462 by which the position of the screw is adjusted to adjust the tension of the associated spring 456.

The lower ends of the rack bars 454 are supported for vertical movements in housings 464 in which are journaled shafts 466 carrying gear segments 468 which mesh with the teeth of the rack bars 454. Keyed to the shafts 466 are inwardly extending arms 470 which are in turn connected by links 472 with vertically extending rods 474. The upper ends of the rods 474 are connected by links 476 to opposite ends of an equalizer bar 478 pivoted at 480 in the head 16 of the machine. Thus it will be apparent that upon downward movement of the head '16 during the molding operation the rods 474 move downwardly and will act through links 472, arms 470, shafts 466 and gear segments 468 to move the rack bars 454 downwardly stretching the springs 456 thus yieldingly moving the bars 436 carrying the gripper members downwardly to exert tension on the upper at the lasting 'margin in the vicinity of the heel breast line. Inasmuch as the head 16 is connected to the actuating mechanism for the grippers by the equalizing bar 478, the tension exerted at opposite sides of the upper by the gripper members 432, 434 will be equalized. It may be desirable to lock the equalizing bar 478 in a predetermined posi- .tion against rocking movement. For this purpose locking screws 482 (Fig. 3) are threaded through a bracket 484 in the head of the machine and are arranged to engage the upper surface of the equalizer bar 478 at opposite sides of the pivot 480.

. -To assist the operator in inserting the toe end of the upper properly between the toe grippers 344, 346 a gage member 486 is associated therewith. This gage member .includes a gage 488 having gage points 490, 492 for left and right shoes respectively. The gage 488 is adjustably connected to a yoke 494 by a screw and slot connection 496. The legs of the yoke 494 are pivoted at 498 to the slide 374. Thus the gage member 486 may be moved between the operative position shown in Fig. 3 with the appropriate gage point alined with the throat of the .upper, and a retracted or inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the operation of the'machine the operator will place the heel end of a backpart over the inner mold 22 as shown in Fig. 9 with the top margin in engagement with the gage pin 238 which will previously have been adjusted according to the particular type of work being operated uponw Assumingthat the upper for a left shoe is to-be treated the, toe grippers will be positioned laterally of the machine as shown in Fig. 3 and the gage member 486 will be moved upwardly as shown in Fig. 6 to assist in properly orienting the shoe on the inner mold. llfnecessary the slide 384. supporting the toe grippers will be elevated .by loosening the screw 390 until the grippers are in proper heightwise position according to the size of the shoe, and the arm 362 will then be moved downwardly to move the inner gripper member 344 into gripping relation to the outer gripper member 346. The slide 384 is then moved down to apply tension to the upper after which the screw 390' is tightened to lock the gripper supporting slide 384 in its proper heightwise position. The backpart engaging pad 236 (Fig. 8) may now 'be moved into clamping engagement with the backpart on the inner mold 22 by lifting the arm 242 thus moving the slide 208 downward and moving the pad 236 downwardly toward the inner mold 22. The side grippers 434 are now actuated by movement of the arms 444 to clamp the lasting margin of the upper therebetween just forwardly .of the heel breast line. Should an upper for a right shoe be presented thereto instead of an upper for a left shoe the only change required is to swing the holder 388 into its other extreme position as heretofore described.

The gage member 486 may now be moved forwardly to avoid any possibility of interference with the upper during the molding operation and the operation of the machine may then be intiated as explained in my aforementioned patent. The head 16 moves down carrying with it the wipers 20 which clamp the lasting margin of the upper to the plate 26. The outer mold continues its downward movement during which time the gears 114 and the racks move down causing the wipers 20 to move inwardly toward each other to increase the gripping eflect of the wipers and the plate 26. At the same time the jack 24 is moved upwardly stretching the backpart relatively to the lasting margin to define the heel seat line. During this time the head 16 continues its downward movement compressing the springs 82 between the head and the levers 66 which move the outer mold members 40 toward each other to apply heavy pressure to that portion of the backpart which is on the inner mold 22.

Following this the pistons 328, 330 (Fig. 2) move upwardly causing clockwise movement of the bell crank lever 158, rearward movement of the rod 144 and clockwise movement of the gear segment 128 to move the racks 110 upwardly thus opening the wipers and relieving the pressure against the lasting margin. The plate 26 is now moved rearwardly by admission of pressure fluid in the space behind the small piston 294 following which the wipers 26 are again moved inwardly by downward movement of the racks 110. Thus the lasting margin is wiped inwardly over the rear surface of the inner mold 22 which is permitted to move forward slightly during this wiping action against the force exerted by the spring 302. During this movement of the wipers the floating rack moves upwardly until it contacts the stop screw 172 following which the gears 114 move bodily down lowering the wiper supporting plate 98 and the wipers. During this movement of the wipers the cam rolls 342 of the auxiliary wiper members 336 engage the fixed cams 342 whereupon the auxiliary wiper members 336 move toward each other to wipe in the lasting margin down to the heel breast line thus clearly defining the extent of the heel seat flange being formed.

Following this the plate 26 is moved forwardly and the inner mold 22 moved slightly rearwardly to exert pressure on the flange against the wipers. After a predetermined time the parts are returned to their original positions as disclosed fully in my aforementioned patent. The gripper members may now be released and the upper with the completely molded backpart removed from the machine for further shoemaking operations.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, an outer mold cooperating with the inner mold to conform the backpart to the shape of the inner mold, means for relatively moving said inner and outer molds to apply molding pressure to the backpart, wipers cooperating with said inner mold to flange the marginal portion of the backpart, means mounting the inner mold for yielding movement away from the wipers during movement of the wipers to turn in the marginal portion of the backpart, means for thus moving the wipers, and means operative with the'wipers in flange forming positions for relatively moving the inner mold and the wipers to apply molding pressure to the inturned marginal portion.

2. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, a support for the backpart of a shoe upper shaped like the heel portion of a last, a wiper assembly cooperating with said support for turning the overhanging marginal portion of a shoe upper on the support to form an attaching flange, said Wiper assembly comprising a pair of pivotally connected wipers movable as a unit and movable toward each other in the flanging operation, an auxiliary wiper member carried by each of said wipers and arranged for engagement with the lasting margin adjacent to and rearwardly of the heel breast line, and means operative automatically at a predetermined time in the movement of the wipers to form the flange for additionally moving said auxiliary wiper members inwardly of the support relatively to the wipers to complete the formation of the flange adjacent to the heel breast line.

3. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, a support for the backpart of a shoe upper shaped like the heel portion of a last, a wiper assembly cooperating with said support for turning the overhanging mar ginal portion of a shoe upper on the support to form an attaching flange, said wiper assembly comprising a pair of pivotally connected wipers movable as a unit and movable toward each other in the fianging operation, an auxiliary wiper member slidably carried by each of said Wipers and arranged for engagement with the lasting margin adjacent to and rearwardly of the heel breast line, a cam roll carried by each of said auxiliary Wiper members, and means carried by the machine arranged to be engaged by said cam rolls in response to movement of said wipers as a unit to turn in the flange for moving said auxiliary wiper members toward each other relatively to the Wipers.

4. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, a gage cooperating with said mold for assisting in placing the backpart on the mold in a predetermined relation thereto, and means associated with said gage for clamping the backpart in position on said mold.

5. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, a shoe positioning gage associated with said mold, means mounting said gage for adjustment relatively to said mold, means associated with said gage for clamping the backpart in position on said mold, means mounting said clamping means for adjustment with said gage, and means for moving said clamping means into and out of operative relation to said inner mold.

6. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, a mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, heel and toe end grippers engageable with the heel and toe end portions of the upper for maintaining the backpart of a predetermined relation to the inner mold during the molding operation, and gages associated with said heel and toe end grippers for assisting the operator in correctly positioning the backpart relatively to said grippers.

7. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, a mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, heel and toe end grippers engageable with the heel and toe end portions of the upper for maint'aining the backpart in a predetermined relation to the inner mold during the molding operation, gages associated with said heel and toe end grippers for assisting the operator in correctly positioning the backpart relatively to said grippers, and means for adjusting said grippers to accommodate backparts of different sizes.

8. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, a gripper engageable with the toe end of the upper arranged to maintain the upper under tension and to hold the upper properly oriented relatively to said inner mold, a holder for said gripper swingable into either of two extreme positions at opposite sides of a median plane through said inner mold, means for yieldingly maintaining said holder in either of its two extreme positions, and means connecting said gripper to said holder for adjustment lengthwise of a shoe on the inner mold.

9. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, means cooperating with said mold for shaping the backpart of an upper placed thereon, a gripper engageable with the toe end of the upper arranged to maintain the upper under tension and to hold the upper properly oriented relatively to said inner mold, a holder for said gripper swingable into either of two extreme positions at opposite sides of a median plane through said inner mold, means for yieldingly maintaining said holder in either of its two extreme positions, means connecting said gripper to said holder for adjustment lengthwise, heightwise and widthwise of a shoe on the inner mold, and means for varying the location of said extreme positions of the holder.

10. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, an outer mold cooperating with the inner mold to conform the backpart to the shape of the inner mold, means for holding an upper in stretched condition with its backpart on the inner mold, means for relatively moving said inner and outer molds to apply molding pressure to the backpart, grippers for engaging the upper in the vicinity of the heel breast line, and means operative during said relative movement of the inner and outer molds for yieldingly moving said grippers toeward for stretching the upper in the vicinity of the heel breast line during the molding operation.

11. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting the backpart of a shoe upper, an outer mold cooperating with the inner mold to conform the backpart to the shape of the inner mold, means for moving the outer mold toward the inner mold to apply molding pressure to the backpart, grippers engageable with the backpart in the vicinity of the heel breast line, and means connecting said grippers to said outer mold moving means whereby the upper is stretched in the vicinity of the heel breast line during the molding operation.

12. In a machine for shaping the backparts of shoe uppers, an inner mold shaped like the heel portion of a last for supporting tthe backpart of a. shoe upper, an outer mold cooperating with the inner mold to conform the backpart to the shape of the inner mold, means for moving the outer mold toward the inner mold to apply molding pressure to the backpart, grippers engageable with the backpart in the vicinity of the heel breast line, and means connecting said grippers to said outer mold moving means whereby the upper is stretched in the vicinity of the heel breast line during themolding operation, said connecting means including a spring to limit the stretching action of said grippers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,197,439 Brock Sept. 5, 1916 1,260,034 Perri Mar. 19, 1918 1,280,303 Ricks Oct. 1, 1918 1,726,833 Holmgren Sept. 3, 1929 2,138,099 Holmgren Nov. 29, 1938 2,258,600 Engel Oct. 14, 1941 2,342,154 MacDonald Feb. 22, 1944 

